Laundry machine



Feb. 18, 1930. w, DUNHAM 1,747,763

LAUNDRY MACHINE Filed April 20. 1927 Vigvemtoz 20 submerged during washing.

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The invention relates to laundry machines and, more particularly, to laundry machine baskets which hold the laundry during treatment.

According to the invention a basket is provided which may be made up of a receptacle sufficiently imperforate to hold washing liquid and a suitable guard ring. The receptacle may have parts thereo suitably corru ated or stren hened so that the receptac e ma be ina e lar to hold a large volume of aundry and iquid and yet will be light and strong. The receptacle may be prov1ded with a continuous outer wall endin in a smooth upper edge or lip, over which quid mayflow out uniformly about the entire eriphery. A guagd ring may have a part disposed below the surface of the liquid and may effectively aid in holdinfilthe laundry e guard rmg ma also act as a partition to separate oil a col ector space or chamber at the top of the receptacle in which scum may be collected.

The ard ring may also operate to hold the 26 laun ry within the receptacle during drying in such manner as to prevent spotting the laundry. The guard ring may also have a part which will prevent smaller and lighter articles from be1n ex elled into the scum so chamber if they sfioul accidentally escape from beneath the guard ring.

Various other features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following particular description and from an inspection of the accompanying drawings.

The invention also consists in certain new and original features of construction and combinations of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed.

Although the novel features which are believed to be characteristic of this invention will be pointed out with particularity in the claims appended hereto, the invention itself, as to its objects and advantages, the mode of its operation and the manner of its organization may be better understood by referring to the following description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings forming a part thereof,;in"- which Fig. 1 is an elevation partly in section of a well known typev of laundrv machine showm the novel basket arranged therewith; and

1g. 2 is a detail with parts broken away showm a lan view of the basket.

In t e ollowingb description and in the claims parts will e identified by specific names for convenience, but they are intended to be as generic in their application to similar arts as the art will permit.

L1ke reference characters denote like parts in the several fi res of the drawings.

In the drawm s, a well known type of laundry machine is shown for the purpose of illustrating the invention. It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the particular laundry machine disclosed, but may be used in any type of laundry machine wh1ch is of such a nature as to utilize the teachin s of this invention.

The aundry machine shown comprises a generally cylindrical tank 1 having a conical ottom 2 sloping toward the center thereof, from which may be suitably suspended a horizontally disposed rotary pump 3. Susended from the pump may be a car box 4 in which may be disposed suitab e gearing for operating the machine. Also suspended from the bottom of the tank is a suitable drivin motor 5 having driving connections with tl e gearing in the gear box.

The laundry machine may also be provided with legs 6, preferably three in number, to provide a three-point support. A cover may also be provided comprising an annular outer rin 7 and an inner lid 8 having an opening in t e top through which the discharge nozzle 9 may project, as hereinafter described. The lid 8 may be removed to ive access to the basket and the outer rin may be left in position to act as a liquid retaining ring to prevent liquid discharged from the basket from splashing out of the machine.

Projectin upwardly from the bottom of the tank. an preferably secured to the pump is a hollow pedestal 10. Theconstruction is such that the hollow pedestal 10, pump 3 and gear box 4 form a unitary assembly. This construction together with the gearing in the gear box and other driving mechanism is disclosed in prior co-pending application, Serial No. 18,086, filed March 25th, 1925, in the name of the present inventor.

Rotatably mounted on to of the pedestal 10 by suitable bearings 11 IS the basket 12. The basket comprises an im rforate rece tacle 13 and an upper guar ring14. T e imperforate receptacle 13 comprises a tubular hub 15 and an outer annular wall 16 flaring slightly upwardly, the annular wall generally curving into a bottom 17, which converges sli htly u wardly and is connected to the hub by sol ering, or in any other desired manner, at a point spaced from the lower end thereof. The bottom 17 is provided with a plurality of corrugations 18 extending from the side wall to the hub, the corrugations increasing in depth from the hub to a point 23 about two thirds way from the hub to the wall. The corrugations then decrease in depth from this point to the outer wall. Smaller corrugations 19 may be provided between the longer corrugations 18,

the smaller corrugations extending from the outer wall part way to the hub.

A strengthening plate 20 may be provided connecting the lower end of the hub 15 and the point 23 on the bottom between the wall and the hub, the bottom at this point changing its slope slightly. The strengthening plate 20 may be provided with corrugations 24 extending from the hub 15 to the outer end thereof, the corrugations increasing in depth from the hub toward the outer edge of the plate and inter-fitting the corrugations on the bottom. The strengthening plate 20 may have its inner edge 25 turned slightly upwardly and suitably secured to the hub.

The guard ring 14 may comprise an annular hook portion 26 disposed over the u per edge of the receptacle wall 16, said ook portion extending downwardly a short distance. At the lower end of the hooked portion 26 a foraminous retaining portion 27 extends inwardly and slightly upwardly. Extending upwardly from the inner edge of the retaining portlon 27 is a foraminous guard portion 28 having its 11 per edge turned mto a head 29 forming a liand ring, by means of which the receptacle may be stopped in its rotation after the power is turned off after drying. The guard ring is preferably fixedly secured by soldering, welding or otherwise, to the receptacle wall.

isposed within the receptacle may be a suitable agitator 30 comprising a cap 31 having suitable connections with a drive shaft within the pedestal, and a conical plate 32 having a plurality of agitator blades 33 depending therefrom. The plate 32 may be free to move longitudinally of the cap 31,

, but is constrained to rotate therewith.

Disposed at the side of the tank may be a standpipe 34 made up of a riser tube 35 in which is telescopically mounted a flow pipe 36 ending in a return bent disch ge nozzle 9, which is shown as projected through the hole in the lid 8 to dischar liquid into the top of the receptacle. T e lower end of the standpi e 34 is connected by means of flexible'tubmg 37 to the discharge side of the pump 3, the intake of the ump communicating with the bottom 0 the tank. In order to wash a batch of laundry, the laundry is placed in the rece tacle 13 together with suitable laundry iquid wh ch should fill the receptacle to overflowing and a suflicient extra amount should be placed in the bottom of the tank so that the pump may keep the liquid continuously circulating during washing from the bottom of the tank into the top of the receptacle, whence it overflows back into the tank. The agitator 30 will be in the position shown, and the operating mechanism is such as to give the agitator a rotary oscillatory motion, the

receptacle being stationary during washing.

The agitator suitably agitates t e laundry and laundry liquid, and the supply of liquid into the receptacle keeps the receptacle overflowing simultaneously with the mechanical agitation. As the scum and other im urities are loosened from the laundry they eat to the top of the liquid through the foraminous guard rin 14 and into the scum collector chamber 38 a ove the guard ring, whence they overflow into the ottom of the tank, where they are trapped in the comparatively quiet pool of liquid in the tank bottom. It

will be understood that the suction from the pump 3 is taken from the extreme bottom of the tank so that the scum and other impurities are not recirculated.

The retaining portion 27 of the guard ring being below the liquid level together with the agitator, effectively holds the laundry submerged, preventing air bubbles from carrying portions of the laundry above the surface of the laundry liquid. At the same time. if the suds should happen to carry small articles such ashandkerchiefs, above the surface 0 the liquid, the guard portion 28 will prevent them from being discharged into the scum chamber 38. i

For drying, the liquid circulation through the standpipe is stopped in any desired manum, and the agitator is removed by lifting it out of the receptacle. Suitable mechanism is provided for continuously rotating the receptacle. As the receptacle begins to pick up speed, the laundry and 1i uid settle at the center and there is an initia flow of the mass, just beneath the guard ring, toward the center. This causes a radial circulation until the speed and remaining volume become such as to stop the circulation when the mass assumes a cup-like form and feeds liquid over the side. The heavier laundry is then thrown outward,- 1 against the annular wall andthe su lus hquid leaves the tank from the inside 0 the laundry and is discharged upwardly through the foraminous guard ring into the collector chamber, thence over the lip of the receptacle into the surrounding tank.

By the provision of a guard ring according to this invention, spot-ting of the laundry due to straining the liquid through limited portions thereof (luring drying is practically eliminated. An additional advantage of the guard ring is its action in preventing the laundry from climbing during centrifugal extraction, this naturally keeping the center of gravity low.

Thus it will be seen that a receptacle is provided which is light but yet-large and strong enough to carry a comparatively large amount of laundry and laundry liquid. The'guard ring, to ether with the agitator, during washing holds the laundry effectively submerged. During drying the guard ring holds the laundry in such position that it is practically impossible for the laundry to become spotted due to a large portion of water being discharged through a very limited area of laundry. In addition, the laundry is kept from climbing, thereb keeping the center of gravity low and re ucing the vibration due to uneven loading of the receptacle. The construction according to the invention washes laundry with maximum efiiciency, the laundry, after washing and drying being practically free from scum and other impurities.

lVhile certain novel features of the inven tion have been shown and described and are pointed out in the annexed claims, it will be understood that various omissions, substitutions and changes in the forms and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.

'lVhat is claimed is 1. In a laundry machine, an imperforate receptacle adapted to be rotated and having an annular side wall, a guard ring comprising a foraminous retaining portion extending from said wall inwardly and below the normal liquid level in said rece tacle, and a foraminous guard portion exten ing upwardly from the inner edge of said retaining portion and ending in a hand ring.

2. In a laundry machine a I receptacle adapted to be rotated, a guard ring comprising a foraminous retaining portion disposed below the normal liquid level in said receptaele and a guard ortion extending upwardly from the inner e ge of said retaining portion.

3. In a laundry machine, an imperforate receptacle adapted to be rotated and having means for maintaining a predetermined liq-.-

uid level in said receptacle, a guard ring for holding laundry in said rece tacle, said ring being disposed below said liquid level, and agitator devices for agitating said laundry during washing, said agitator devices being disposed Within said ring and acting to assist said ring in keeping said laundry submerged during washing.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand- GEORGE W. DUNHAM.

an annularside wall ending in a substantially even, upper edge, .a ard rin com risin an annular hooked pal t dispose ovei the dge of said receptacle and adepending portion, aforaminous retaining portion extendin from the lower ed e of said depending portion inwardly and s ightly upwardly, and a forami 

